Lost and Found
by fandomlver
Summary: Still suffering the aftereffects of his near-drownings, Lok finds himself in Klaus' hands...with only Zhalia to protect him. While Dante and Sophie fight to find him, Zhalia struggles to remember which side she's on...
1. Chapter 1

Author's notes: Yes, I suck at titles. Sorry about that.

This is set between The Beautiful Trap and Home Turf. I'm technically disregarding Like Father, Unlike Son because Grier shows up later, but they have their Hoplite Titans.

This started out as a fluffy little exploration of the fact that Lok drowned twice in two episodes and no one acknowledged it. Really, it was going to have fluff and everything! And then it mutated into a mutli-chaptered, sequel producing fic with kidnapping and angsts and people getting shoved around and kidnapped and everything.

For the purposes of this story, Lok and Sohpie are 15, Zhalia is 23, Dante is 27.

On the topic of the sequel; it currently features an OC who, while not in any way the focus of the story, is there. It could be rewritten without too much trouble so the character is Cathy, Lok's sister, instead. (Though she's practically an OC; what did she have, like four lines of dialogue?) What do y'all think? I don't want to be accused of writing the first Mary Sue in the fandom!

And now, having sat through all that, have some story.

Lost and Found 1

The Organization always found them. Dante fired off another Boltflare and dropped lightly behind Zhalia, brushing her shoulder as she turned.

"You ok?" he asked, raising a shield around them and dropping it a moment later so she could fire.

"You should be worried about them," she told him. Dante glanced past Kilthane, trying to make out shapes in the shifting shadows on the other side of the crypt.

Rumours of a powerful curse had brought his team to a crypt in the Spanish countryside, miles from anywhere. The information had been sadly lacking, though; expecting a simple tomb, they'd found a labyrinth of tunnels. The holotome had found them a path through, but the curse was hiding nothing useful and before they could get back out the Organization had attacked.

Lok was abruptly outlined in green as Kipperon retreated back into his amulet. The rush of energy staggered him; Sophie jumped in front of him, shield already raised, and Cherit barrelled past, trying to distract their attackers.

"Go," Dante told Zhalia. Sophie wouldn't like it, but Lok wasn't up to fighting and between them the girls could protect him.

Lok's two near-drownings had taken their toll; he was slower to respond than usual, tired more easily, and found it harder to battle.

It didn't take him long to finish the Suits; they were all low level, not even challenging except through their numbers. He was advancing on the last one when Sophie screamed, "Lok, look out!"

Dante spun, trusting Caliban to watch his back, but he knew even as he turned he was too late. Zhalia was moving too, but half a step too slow; Lok took the Augurfrost to the chest and went down hard, unmoving.

Dante fired over Zhalia's head, taking down Lok's attacker, and she whirled past him to deal with the last Suit. Dante slid to his knees beside Lok; Sophie was already there, biting her lip as she examined him.

Dante ignored her protests to haul Lok to a sitting position; his breath was catching, labouring, but it eased as he raised. Bracing him carefully against his chest, he nodded for Sophie to continue.

"He's not bleeding," she said after a moment, "and I don't think he's broken any bones." She sat back on her heels, lifting a hand as Cherit crawled into her lap.

Zhalia knelt beside Dante, touching Lok's chest and forehead quickly. Dante caught her eye, frowning. "Ready?"

"Ready for what?" Sophie demanded.

Dante shifted Lok, freeing his other hand. "We're gonna try and wake him up. It'll make it easier to get him out of here."

"Let me help."

"You keep an eye on those guys," Zhalia told her, gesturing to the Suits. "Once we start this, we can't stop." To Dante, she added, "Can you do it from there?"

"Good a time as any to find out." He pressed his hand against Lok's chest, over his heart, waiting for Zhalia to mirror him. "Ready?"

***

Sophie kept her back turned, watching the Suits for any signs of consciousness. Cherit was still curled into her arm, trembling against her.

The light from whatever Dante and Zhalia were doing cut off suddenly, and she blinked hard against the colours streaking her vision. Cherit scrambled up her arm, peering over her shoulder, but she still didn't turn.

"Slowly," Dante said warningly.

"Careful!" Zhalia added more sharply.

Cherit jumped from her shoulder and she heard Lok _whuff_ as he caught him. A moment later he laughed, low and tired.

"Sophie, come on," Dante said. "We have to go."

Lok was on his feet when she turned, even if he was leaning heavily against Dante, but he was too pale and seemed somehow smaller than normal.

"What?" he asked when she just stared at him.

"N-nothing. Sorry. Are you alright?"

He made a face. "Feel like a herd of Titans trampled me." Cherit made a protesting noise and he added, "Big ones. What's wrong with me? I've been hit before."

Dante moved towards the entrance, steadying Lok until he caught his balance. "You nearly drowned twice in the last week, Lok. Your lungs are weaker than normal and that hit shocked them."

Zhalia hadn't moved, and it took Sophie a moment to realise she was shaking. "Zhalia?"

"I'm alright," the older girl said irritably, but it lacked her usual bite. Cherit flew back, alarmed, but she waved him off and headed after Dante.

Sophie stayed behind them, watching. Lok was walking well enough, but his sense of direction was shot; Dante couldn't let go of him for long, because he would walk into the nearest wall sooner or later. Zhalia's awareness of them was lessening; she almost walked into Dante each time he slowed or stopped, saved only by Cherit catching her hood or scarf and hauling her back.

"Dante," Sophie called after the fifth near-collision, "how about a break?"

"We really need to get out of here," Dante reminded her. "Those Suits will be waking up soon, if they haven't already."

"Five minutes?" She let her gaze slid deliberately to Zhalia, standing with her head down, and to Lok, leaning against the wall and not really hearing them. "Even after we get out of the tunnels, it's forest for miles. At least it's fairly warm and smooth underfoot down here."

"Five minutes," he agreed reluctantly.

Look dropped where he stood. Dante looked from him to Zhalia, but Sophie took the decision out of his hands by crossing to sit next to Lok. Behind her, she could hear Dante and Zhalia murmuring softly.

"Hey," she said quietly, holding out her water bottle.

Lok tilted his head to look at her without lifting it from his knees. "Hey, Sophie," he murmured, taking the bottle but making no effort to drink from it.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better'n Zhalia, I think."

Sophie glanced over his shoulder. Zhalia had refused to sit down but she was leaning against the wall, talking quietly to Dante. The holotome was projecting the partial map of the tomb in front of them and they were studying it carefully.

"How is she?" Look asked quietly.

"She's fine. Drink your water, Lok."

"Well, if you're going to ask nicely…" He lifted the bottle, swallowing several mouthfuls before tipping it over his head. Cherit flinched, abandoning him for Dante.

"Sophie?" Lok said quietly. "Where are we?"

"Still in the tunnels." She took the empty bottle back from him, playing idly with it. "There're still Suits around; it's taking us longer to get back to the entrance because we have to avoid them."

"Time to go," Dante said from above them. "Lok, you ok?"

Lok accepted his hand up, glancing at Zhalia. "I'm fine."

"Sure?"

"Let's just get out of here. I'm sick of being so cold."

Sophie flinched. It was damp down here, certainly, but it wasn't at all cold. "Lok…"

"That's fine," Dante interrupted her. "It's not far now." Lok nodded, turning and heading away with one hand on the wall for balance.

"Dante," Sophie protested.

"We can't help him here." He had to be tired too, she realised suddenly; she wondered if Zhalia had given more energy to the spell, or if Dante was just better at hiding it.

Zhalia paused beside them; she, at least, looked better for the rest. "He's a strong kid," she offered, eyes fixed firmly on Lok's back. "He'll be alright."

Frustrated—there really wasn't anything else to do, much as she hated it—Sophie took Cherit from Dante and headed after Lok.

"Tell me you at least called Guggenheim," Zhalia murmured.

"No signal. It'll have to wait until we're back above."

Zhalia sighed, following the kids, and Dante fell into step just behind them.

***

Naturally, they were in sight of the exit when it all went wrong.

Zhalia was pretty sure she knew all the Suits, and they should all have known her, but of the group of seven surrounding Dante's team she only recognised two. Wearily, she prepared to fight; she wasn't sure she had enough power to summon Gareon, let alone a more powerful Titan, and neither Lok nor Dante were in any better shape.

"Sophie," Dante said quietly, apparently realising the same thing. He caught her arm when she turned, pulling her back to stand between them and in front of Lok. Zhalia nodded quickly; she could still fight hand-to-hand, if she had to, but Lok couldn't even stand up straight right now.

Sophie rapidly invoked Sabrial and Icarus; Zhalia saw Dante going for Caliban's amulet and reached to push his hand away. "You can't," she warned him.

"Hoplite!" Sophie yelled, adding "Honorguard!" a moment later.

"Zhalia," Dante protested, reaching for Caliban again.

Zhalia took a step closer to him, behind Sophie now, ignoring how much she hated letting the poor little rich girl fight her battles for her. "If you go down, we all go down," she hissed. "Sophie can't get us out of here by herself, and I can't _help_."

"I can _hear_ you," Sophie protested. "Boltflare!—they're figuring out something's wrong."

"They're dumb, but not that dumb, considering Sophie's the only one of us actually fighting," Zhalia agreed.

"You don't think I could take them?" Sophie grinned over her shoulder at them.

"Zhalia, can you throw a few flares?" Dante asked.

"No," she said reluctantly. "But I can shield Lok. You two go fight."

Dante nodded, pressing a hand to his shoulder. "Everfight!"

Zhalia leaned against the wall. She was absolutely exhausted, barely even able to keep her eyes open, but with any luck the Suits wouldn't try too hard to defeat her.

A Mindrone hit the wall over their heads; she pushed Lok aside, wincing at his cry of pain, and yelled "Hyperstride!" just in time. The rush of energy left her dizzy, though, and she slammed hard into the ground, unable to even sit up let alone get out of there.

Cherit grabbed her scarf, tugging uselessly. "Up, up! Titans coming!"

Zhalia tried to swat him away, but her hand fell embarrassingly wide. Distantly, she heard the little Titan moan "Oh, my!" and Dante call "Cherit!" but the words were lost in the wave of energy that swept over her. Radiating out from her chest, it washed from head to toe, leaving her, if not back to normal, at least closer to it.

Cherit was out cold and she scooped him up as she rose. Dante was standing over Lok, ready to fight; she called another Hyperstride, marvelling at how much easier it was, slipping Cherit gently into Lok's arms.

"Can you summon King Basilik?" Dante demanded.

Zhalia hesitated, examining herself. "Not for long. He's too strong."

"Boltflare! Call Kilthane, then."

"Kilthane! Defend your lady!"

Dante and Kilthane set themselves against the incoming attacks; Zhalia crouched beside Lok, checking him over quickly. "You ok?"

"Sure," he murmured. "You push hard."

"Sorry." She touched his arm lightly and he flinched, pulling away. "I'll let you…Armorbrand! I'll let the Mindrone hit you next time."

Lok shifted. "I thought you were out of power."

"Cherit charged me up."

He looked down at the little Titan. "I guess you're the better fighter."

"It's not about that. You're sick. He can't help with that."

"I'm not…"

He broke off to cough harshly; Zhalia got an arm around his shoulder, hauling him to sit upright. "Want to try that again?" she asked dryly. Lok managed to roll his eyes while still coughing.

The wall behind them vanished without warning; Lok tumbled backwards, dragging Zhalia with him. They crashed down a steep slope, slamming into each other and the rocks at the sides of their path.

Zhalia managed to land mostly on the bottom, saving Lok the impact, but he'd knocked his arm again on the way. She allowed herself two breaths to recover before sliding carefully out from under him.

"Cherit?"

Cherit didn't answer, still out from charging her up, but tucked into Lok's shoulder he seemed to have escaped without injury.

Kilthane's amulet flared as he retreated and she doubled over, breathing hard. The battle above them couldn't be going very well for Dante.

Lok hadn't moved yet, and he was breathing very quickly. Zhalia dropped to sit beside him; Cherit's energy burst was wearing off, and her exhaustion was catching up to her. "Lok?"

"Ow," he breathed, opening his eyes. "Dante?"

Zhalia shook her head. "Just us."

"Where are they?"

"Still up there."

He turned to look, hissing in pain and reaching for his head. "Oh, that's not good," he murmured, looking at the blood on his fingers.

Two Suits rounded the corner, checking slightly on seeing them. "Look, two little Foundation Foundlings," the woman sneered.

Zhalia ignored them; Lok's eyes had glazed and he wasn't responding.

"Maybe we should help them out," the male Suit suggested.

"Don't be an idiot," Zhalia snapped.

"We have orders to take the boy," the woman told her. "Stand aside."

"You know who I am?"

"We're on Klaus' orders."

"So am I." Zhalia rose to her feet, forcing herself into a defensive position. "You're not touching him."

"You want to fight us?" The Suits exchanged glances. "You wouldn't last ten seconds, Zhalia."

"Let's see what Klaus says if you lay a hand on me."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's notes: Well, I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I'll go ahead and update now! Oh, thanks to the reviewer who asked; this is NOT LokXZhalia. It's listed under those names because they have the most to do.

Oh, and since no one weighed in, I've continued writing the sequel with my OC. You still have time to vote, if you want!

Chapter 2

Cherit was curled into the crook of his arm.

That was the first thing Lok was aware of, but as soon as he realised he was awake all the accumulated aches crashed in on top of him. For a moment he couldn't breathe through the pain.

"Ow," he murmured. "Everfi…"

"Don't." Cool fingers wrapped around his wrist. "You're sick, you shouldn't use your powers."

"Zhalia." He opened his eyes, but it didn't help; he was in a fairly comfortable bed, but the room was dark and the air was cold. "Where are we?"

She snorted. "Enjoying the hospitality of the Organization." Lok picked at the blanket, and she added, "I persuaded them that you needed something better than the floor."

"She was very brave," Cherit agreed.

"Lok, can you sit up?" Zhalia asked. "I want to look at your arm. Try not to move it."

Lok nodded, carefully propping himself up on his other arm. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. They just pushed me around some. Does…"

"Ow!" He jerked away from her, cradling the arm.

"That answers that. It's dislocated." She reached for it again; Lok pulled back, and she frowned. "I have to reset it. It'll swell."

"I know," Lok agreed. "Be quick?"

"Yeah." She gripped the arm carefully, watching him. "It'll hurt for a second, but once it's…"

She shoved and Lok screamed, arching against her.

"…in," she finished more quietly, "it'll feel much better."

"Geez," Lok breathed. "Remind me not to get on your bad side. Where are the others?"

"Planning how to break us out, I'd guess."

Lok glanced around, eyes adapted to the dark now. His 'bed' was a mattress on the floor – Zhalia was apparently making do with a blanket. The only other thing in the room was a plastic tray with a half-full plate and a jug on it.

Zhalia followed his gaze, leaning over to retrieve the jug. "It's just water."

"Drink it slowly," Cherit advised him.

"All of it," she added when he stopped after a few swallows. "They'll be coming with more soon anyway."

"Where are we?" Lok asked, tipping the water into his hand and rubbing it over his face.

"Prague, I think. I wasn't exactly conscious when we got here, but I'm almost certain we're at Organization Headquarters."

"Prague," Lok repeated. "Why haven't you busted out yet?"

"They'd kill you, for one thing." She took the jug away from him, offering him an apple from the tray instead.

"And she has no magic," Cherit added.

"Cherit!"

"What?" Lok looked from Cherit to Zhalia, unsure. "Zhalia, how does…"

"They have a little toy that drains magic," Zhalia said off-handedly. "They're not worried about you, but I put six Suits down when I woke up. Cherit can't charge me up enough to overcome it, and he can't help you at all, so they're not worried about him, either."

"But that's…Zhalia, how does that even…"

"They were saving it for Dante," she continued. "But lucky me, I get to be the guinea pig They don't want to kill him, just make him helpless, and they weren't sure what this would do."

"Where is it? I can try…"

"No. It's set up to shock anyone who touches it, and you're sick enough as it is. Eat your apple."

Lok started to protest; Cherit pulled urgently at his arm, shaking his head. "I'm not hungry," he said instead.

"I bet you're not. But you haven't eaten anything in two days. Try it."

"Two days," Lok murmured, rolling the apple in his fingers.

He managed it, but it took him a while; Zhalia coaxed him semi-patiently, until he'd eaten the whole thing, and then gave him more water.

"Thanks," he murmured. "Are you ok?"

"I just feel tired," she assured him. "You're the sick one."

The door rattled suddenly and she cursed, dropping the jug back onto the tray. "Lie down," she told him. "Close your eyes and _keep_ them closed—you're still asleep, got it?"

"Zhalia…"

"Look, just do it!"

Eyes wide, he slid down until he could lie back, shutting his eyes tight. Cherit crawled into the crook of his arm, tense against him.

The door crashed open; light flooded the room and he heard Zhalia hiss. "Room service!" someone yelled. "How's the little brat?"

Zhalia's hand pressed against his back through the blanket. "He hasn't woken up."

"Huh. You'd think a Lambert would be stronger."

Lok tensed helplessly; Zhalia leaned harder, and Cherit crawled out from his arms to stand defiantly over him.

"Aw, I upset the baby Titan – leave them alone, Foundation Foundling, Klaus wants to see you."

Zhalia's hand shook as she let go of him. "Get your hands off me. I'm coming. Cherit! If Lok wakes up, tell him _I'm fine_."

He knew that message was for him; hard as it was, he waited until the door had closed and Cherit had relaxed before he sat up, stifling a cough. "Cherit, who's…"

"Klaus is someone important, Zhalia says. Higher up than DeFoe. He's in charge of us; it's his machine that keeps her powerless."

Lok sighed, sliding down the bed again. The adrenaline was wearing off, leaving him fully aware of the pounding in his head and the ache everywhere else. "Is she ok?"

"She won't talk to me…Lok? Stay awake, Lok!"

***

Cold wetness on his forehead woke Lok; he groaned, reaching for it, but Zhalia brushed his hand away with an irritated "Stop that."

"I don't think he can hear you," Cherit said wearily.

"Of course he can hear me, he's just being stubborn—as usual. Lok, _stop_ that."

The room tilted when he opened his eyes; he thought it was him, for a moment, until he realised Zhalia had planted a hand on the wall above his head and squeezed her eyes closed. "Zhalia?" he whispered, suddenly scared.

"Hey," she said tiredly, opening her eyes and letting go of the wall.

"Where…"

"We're on a plane. From what I can tell Dante and the Foundation were tearing Prague apart looking for us, so Klaus is taking us somewhere else."

Lok reached up to brush a finger over the bruise on her jaw. "Zhalia…"

"I'm fine. Sit up."

The plane pitched again and she groaned, reaching up to her ear and sagging against the wall.

"Zhalia!" Lok pushed his blanket aside, scrambling up to kneel at her side. "What's wrong?"

"Get back in bed, idiot." She pushed at him, but there was no strength in the move and even ill as he was she couldn't move him. "If they think you're getting better, they'll take you magic too, and then we'll really be screwed."

"What's wrong?" he demanded, not moving.

"I busted my eardrum," she said impatiently. "So every time the plane…"

She broke off as the plane tilted back in the other direction, and Lok caught her arm, alarmed at how much she'd paled. "Zhalia…"

"_Please_ go back to bed," she said tightly.

Lok let go of her arm, climbing back over the pallet and sitting down. She pushed off the wall, digging a bottle of water out of a corner and passing it to him. "Drink up. You've been out for nearly a day."

"Dante must be going insane," he said absently, taking a careful sip.

"He was tearing through Suits like paper, anyway. I gather Santiago was helping him."

Lok smiled. "No wonder they wanted to get us away."

Zhalia touched his forehead, frowning. "Your temperature's not rising, anyway. Do you want something to eat?"

"No. I think I'm getting airsick."

"You don't _get_ airsick."

"Do you have any idea where we're going?"

"No. But we've been in the air a long time."

"So somewhere out of Europe."

"Or they're trying to throw off pursuit. But yeah, I think out of Europe. South America, maybe."

"That's pretty far."

"Uh huh. Drink your water."

***

Dante put the phone down, bracing his arms against the counter. "Confirmed. Zhalia, Lok and Cherit were on a plane out of Prauge this morning."

"Where did it go?" Sophie asked from behind him.

"Fell off the radar."

"We were so _close_," she mourned.

"Don't give up," Santiago advised her quietly.

"You're right, of course," she agreed. "Dante, what do we do now?"

Dante turned, leaning against the counter and folding his arms across his chest. "Right now, you get some rest. We've got Seekers on alert all over the world. When that plane comes in to land, we'll know about it."

"No."

"Sophie, you haven't slept in three days."

"You haven't slept since we lost them."

"I'm used to going without sleep."

Santiago touched Sophie's arm, but she brushed him off, intent on Dante. "I can't sleep until they're home."

"I understand that, but I need you. I can't get them back without you. And you can't help me unless you get some sleep."

Sophie studied him for a moment before nodding. "Alright, Dante, I'll get some sleep, on one condition."

"Oh? What's that?"

"That you get some sleep as well. Santiago can answer the phone for a while; Guggenheim knows who he is."

Dante looked over her head at Santiago. "Think I have any chance of talking her down?"

Santiago pretended to consider it, ignoring her indignation. "No," he said finally. "I raised her to fight for what she believes in."

"And I _believe_ you need sleep. You gave too much energy to Lok, you're not recovered yet, and you won't without sleep."

Dante nodded. "Alright, I give in."

Sophie nodded, rising to her feet. "If he's still here in five minutes," she told Santiago, "Knock him out. Let him get his sleep that way."

"Yes, my lady," Santiago agreed.

Dante smiled faintly as she left. "Guggenheim does know who you are. If he or anyone gives you trouble, or you hear anything, come and wake me up, alright?"

"Of course. Out of curiosity?" he added as Dante turned to leave. "There are spells to send someone to sleep; Sophie knows several. You could have just…"

"I could, but I don't do that to my people. I was pretty sure we could persuade her between us. Good night, Santiago."

"Good night, Dante."

***

Lok dozed on and off as they travelled. His temperature wasn't rising, and it wasn't dangerous, but it was enough to make him miserable. Zhalia made him pretend to be asleep any time the Suits came to check on them but mostly ignored him apart from that, sitting against the wall of their little cabin with her knees up and her head down.

Lok's sense of time was completely gone; he had no idea how long they'd been travelling for. Cherit thought more than half a day but not as much as a whole day; Zhalia said it didn't matter and he should just get some rest.

The plane banked suddenly; Zhalia whimpered, curling into a ball and sliding to the floor. Lok scrambled off his pallet, bringing the blanket with him. Moving carefully, he wrapped first it and then himself around her, ignoring the weak push.

"Just hang on to me," he murmured, and she did, gripping his arms all the way to the ground.

Santiago was careful to make plenty of noise opening Dante's door; startling him awake was never a good idea. Dante was already sitting up, reaching for his shirt.

"Got something?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.

"A seeker in Australia reported a plane matching the description landing in the Outback. Another confirmed it."

"Where?"

"Somewhere within two hundred kilometres of Ayer's Rock. They're trying to narrow it down now, but the Organization have disrupted radar readings in that area."

"Two hundred's too wide."

"Guggneheim's calling in every Seeker he can. The country will be flooded within a day. He's booked us a flight leaving in two and a half hours, and he's sending someone with extra amulets."

"Good. Wake Sophie. I'll get us something to eat."

By the time Sophie reached the kitchen, he'd pulled together a rough meal. "Sorry. The Foundation keeps the safe houses stocked, but not very well," he said vaguely.

"It doesn't matter. What's the plan?"

"We're flying out of here in about two hours. We'll meet a Seeker I know in Perth. By the time we land we'll have a better idea where the plane went down."

"Not one of our more detailed plans," Sophie said with a sigh.

"I don't know. We often jump into things without any plan at all."

Santiago joined them, waving away Dante's quiet offer of coffee. "The flight is almost twenty two hours. We'll lose a day travelling."

"Can't be helped," Dante said. "The Seekers in Australia will move if they have a chance. Otherwise they'll wait for us."

"They'll be careful?" Sophie asked, pushing her plate away.

"They won't go near enough to be seen, and they won't go in unless they're sure they can get Zhalia and Lok out first. Assuming they find them at all." He took the plate away, laying a hand on her shoulder as he passed. "Don't worry."

"Easy for you to say," she muttered.

* * *

DragonPhoenix: Sorry! Hope this clears things up.

KaliAnn: I'm glad you thought Zhalia was in character. And I'm really happy you liked my use of powers; I'm not any good at fight scenes, so at least I'm doing something right!

Archraven: Thanks! I'm glad I'm keeping with the characters.

Treycied: Cherit has a very important part to play, never fear!

San: Love your nick, by the way. To be fair, they never mentioned the concussion he got either, or anything else, but he did lose conciousness both times which means he breathed water, and in the real world you don't do that without damage. (Said she, writing about Titans and magic spells. Ah well...)

Kanasukah: There were two episodes of the show, one straight after the other, where Lok nearly drowned: The Beautiful Trap, and the one immediately before it. I thought it odd that no one ever mentioned it again, and set out to rectify that. :) Glad you're enjoying; stick around!


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: Wow, so many great reviews! Thanks, you guys.

Now, so as not to totally spoil the episodes, we're all going to pretend that Lok was too sick and/or worried about Zhalia to really remember what Klaus looks/sounds like, ok? That way he still doesn't recognise him in Eygpt. :D

Chapter Three

Lok was still curled around Zhalia when the Suits came for them, almost an hour after they'd landed.

"Aww, is the brat scared?" one of the Suits teased.

"Or is it the Foundling?" the other added. "She didn't look too happy about the flight. Is she scared of heights?"

Lok surged at them, ignoring Zhalia's yell, but a fist to the stomach knocked his legs from under him. Crashing to the floor, he began to choke, coughing uncontrollably. Zhalia scrambled across and pulled him upright, panic in her eyes; Lok clutched weakly at her arms as he got himself back under control.

"Where are we?" he gasped, rubbing at his chest. "It's so dry."

"Australia," she said absently. "Come on."

Lok rose unsteadily to his feet, glaring down the Suit who tried to grab his arm. Zhalia stayed a step behind him as they left the plane, ready when the heat and brightness made him stumble again. His weight, even now, was too much for her, and they ended up on their knees on the runway.

"Ah," Klaus drawled from somewhere behind them. "I see you've finally learned your place."

The Suits laughed on cue. Zhalia ignored them, concentrating on getting Lok back on his feet.

"You're bleeding," he murmured.

Zhalia swiped at the blood trickling from her ear. "Yeah, I know. Cherit, c'mere."

The titan scrambled into her arms, pressing against her. "This is very bad," he moaned.

"Shush." Zhalia shifted him up to her shoulder, freeing her other hand. "Lok," she added, deliberately light, "have you met our host?"

Lok studied him for a moment. "I'd bow, but I'm not impressed."

Klaus tossed off a casual Augurfrost that sent them sprawling again. Zhalia sighed, climbing back to her feet and offering Lok a hand.

"So what's the plan here, Klaus?" she asked. "I hope you don't think you can run far enough to escape Dante."

"Way to channel Sophie," Lok murmured, grinning.

"My dear Zhalia, do you think I would tell you?" He cupped Zhalia's cheek; she held absolutely still, ignoring Lok's outrage.

Klaus's finger trailed through the blood under her ear; he let go of her, studying it curiously and pretending not to notice Lok draw her backwards, away from him. "I do hope that's not bothering you too much," he said politely. "I'd hate for you to miss the beautiful scenery."

"My eyes are fine," Zhalia said distantly.

"Enough chit-chat. Into the cars—we have a long way to go."

One of the Suits grabbed Lok by the scruff of the neck, jerking him towards one of the cars. Zhalia automatically went to follow him, but Klaus caught her arm, pulling her towards the second car instead.

"Now now, Zhalia, there are things to discuss."

"No!" Lok jerked against his captor, trying to get back to her. "Zhalia!"

"Lok, stop it! I'm alright, it's al_right_. We're going to the same place." He calmed, sagging, and she reached up to lift Cherit off her shoulder. "Go with him, Cherit, and keep him calm."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Cherit asked, eyeing Klaus.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. Go on."

Klaus pulled at her arm again, steering her towards the car. Zhalia got in without looking back at Lok, sliding over to put herself as far from Klaus as possible.

"Are you enjoying our little game?" Klaus asked.

"Oh, yeah. My favourite part was when you burst my eardrum. Hyperacusis while flying is always fun."

"Realism, my dear. He can't suspect you're on our side. Your idea, if you remember – I told you you could break cover now."

"Dante's going to find him, and when he does you'll want me on their side again. Besides, your Suits can't control themselves. They'll kill him if I'm not there to pull them back. Speaking of…" She reached around to her back, flinching. "Did you have to actually take my powers?"

"You might have forgotten yourself, my dear. This way is much safer for all of us. I can remove it right now if you're ready to walk away from him."

Zhalia scowled, folding her arms and looking away. "What's the point of this, anyway? You know Dante will come for him. You're just going to lose men."

"Yes, he'll find us eventually. But wouldn't it be nice to have a second spy in the Huntik Foundation?"

Zhalia laughed helplessly. "You want to _convert Lok Lambert?_ It'll never happen. The boy's all hung up on honour and duty and finding his father."

"We'll see. The Professor is very interested in him."

Zhalia bit her lip, looking out the window. "So when do we meet him?"

"Not yet. He's returning to Prague from a mission. We have to make sure Dante Vale believes you're here."

"Oh?"

"Guggenheim is calling every Seeker they have. Once they're committed to this country, we will return to Prague, to the Professor. And once we're sure of Lambert, we will let Dante catch us."

"I see. Very neat."

"Yes. I'm rather proud of it. Now…" He gestured to the Suit beside him. "Regrettably, we need to hurt you a little. Mustn't give your boy any chance of guessing, after all, if you're so determined to keep the game going."

"No," Zhalia agreed quietly. "We wouldn't want that."

* * *

"What time is it?" Sophie asked.

Dante answered without opening his eyes. "Five minutes after the last time you asked. And before you ask, we're still over Sri Lanka."

"I'm sorry. I just can't stand this."

Santiago offered her his water bottle. "Watch your movie. Try and relax."

"Oddly, Harry Potter is not as absorbing as one might think," she said with a sigh, but she pulled on her headphones and at least looked towards the screen.

Dante's phone beeped, and a passing stewardess paused. "You'll probably lose signal on that soon, sir. We'll be heading out over the ocean soon."

"Thank you." Dante smiled politely until she moved on. "Guggenheim's got nearly sixty Seekers en route," he told Santiago quietly.

"How many does that leave?"

"There's just under a hundred Seekers in the Foundation, but some of them are only researchers, and Guggenheim won't put them in the field. Some of the field agents can't be recalled from what they're doing, or are too far away. If Guggenheim finds another ten, I'll be very impressed."

"Seventy five Seekers to cover Australia." Santiago sighed, leaning back in his seat.

"It'll be enough," Dante said firmly, turning off his phone.

Santiago pretended not to hear the whispered "It'll have to be."

* * *

Zhalia was already in the small bedroom when Lok and Cherit were shoved inside; she was sitting on the end of the bed, gingerly testing her newly bloodied nose.

The cabin might have been a farmhouse once – or a bootlegger's cabin; Zhalia had no idea, and didn't care much. The important point was that it was all on one level; escape was outside their window, or would have been if it wasn't boarded over.

"Zhalia!" Lok stumbled, ending up on his knees beside her. "Are…"

"I'm fine," she said quickly. "It looks worse than it is…it doesn't even really hurt."

Lok sat beside her. "Why does he keep hurting you?"

"I'm not telling him what he wants to hear."

"He wants us to betray the Foundation, right? To betray Dante?"

"Yeah, I think so." She touched his wrist lightly; he was too hot, and his pulse was faster than normal. "Did they hurt you?"

"No. Just tried to scare me." He started coughing again, clinging helplessly to her arm. He was gasping for breath by the time the coughs eased, and Cherit was flying back and forth overhead, moaning.

"Cherit, stop that. Get me that bottle." She jerked her chin towards one of the bottles of water Klaus had thoughtfully given her.

Cherit struggled across the bed with it and she opened it one-handed, still supporting Lok with the other. "Lok, drink this."

"I'll be sick," he muttered. "It's too hot."

"It's Australia. You won't be sick, just drink a little bit. A sip."

With a lot of nagging she got two or three mouthfuls into him before he rebelled, curling into a ball on the bed. Zhalia put Cherit on guard beside him and started banging on the door.

Klaus and the Suits ignored her at first; her head and hand were both throbbing by the time they unlocked the door, and Lok had given up complaining and retreated under the blanket, hoping to block some of the noise.

"I want to see Klaus," she told the Suit who opened the door.

"He's busy."

Zhalia slammed a hand in the door when he tried to close it. "You really want to take me on? Get Klaus. Now."

The Suit glared at her, but everyone in the Organization knew Zhalia was very nearly their best fighter, with or without powers. "I'll pass on the message."

"Do. I'll just wait here."

He smirked, but he didn't attempt to move her, turning away to call in Czech to another Suit. Zhalia folded her arms, watching.

"Zhalia, dear, I am quite busy," Klaus said irritably, coming in from outside.

"Yes, watching out for Dante and all that. Lok's sick."

"Yes, so you've told me."

"No, he's really sick. You need to get a doctor, or an Organization Healer."

"If my Healers use all their power on the boy, they won't be able to fight off Dante Vale and the Casterwill girl."

Zhalia scowled. "He won't be any use to the Organization if you don't help him."

"Zhalia!" Lok protested, but she didn't move.

Klaus studied her for a long time before turning away. "Find Schmidt," he snapped.

Zhalia took a deep breath, stepping back into the room. The Suit slammed it closed in her face; she ignored him, moving to sit on the edge of the bed.

Lok was up on his elbows, glaring at her. "I'm not helping the Organization do anything!"

"Shush. I know you're not. But Klaus thinks he can convert you. That's the whole point of this. So he has to keep you alive."

"Convert _us_."

"What?"

"You said he wants to convert me. He wants to convert us. You're so much stronger than I am."

"Yeah, well. Lie down, and just let the doctor look at you, alright? Trust me."

"I trust you," he muttered, flopping backwards and almost crushing Cherit. "Sorry, Cherit."

"It's alright." Cherit lifted into the air, hovering over him and exchanging worried looks with Zhalia.

"He really has no idea, does he?" she murmured once Lok had drifted off again.

"About what?"

"About who his father was, and what the name Lambert means to every Seeker in two generations. Doesn't he…the Professor would kill to get his hands on him, and Guggenheim would give him anything he asked for to keep him with the Foundation. Doesn't he realise that?"

"He doesn't really think that way. Lok's not in this for what he can get."

"I would be," Zhalia muttered, crossing to stare out between the boards blocking the window. Cherit watched her, frowning.

* * *

Sophie had dozed on the flight and was still struggling to wake up properly as Dante led them through the airport. A dark haired older man was waiting near the entrance; he raised a hand when he saw them, catching their attention.

"Haki, good to see you. What's going on?"

"We're having trouble pinning them down." Haki turned, heading for a car. "There are Suits all over the place, and we can't track them magically – we're being blocked."

"We're no closer? It's been a day!"

"We've narrowed the area a little. We're down to about a hundred seventy circle, instead of two hundred. But we can't risk moving on the Suits until we know for sure where your people are." Haki eyed him curiously. "That was your order, I was told."

"Yeah." Dante scrubbed a hand through his hair. "That was my order. What's the plan now?"

"It's late. We're going to a Huntik safe house for the night; we'll head out and join the others in the morning. Almost all the Seekers will have flown in by then."

"Alright," Dante agreed reluctantly.

"We'll find your guys, Dante," Haki promised.

"I appreciate it, Haki, that means a lot."

Sophie eyed him curiously, but she let the statement pass until they were at the safe house. Haki had settled them in and gone to get something to eat; Santiago was checking the perimeter.

"Dante? Who is Haki?"

"He's one of the Foundation's top researchers."

"He's not a Seeker?"

Dante sat back, frowning. "He was. He was good, too; led one of the first teams, found some very powerful artefacts for the Foundation. But his team triggered a trap in an ancient tomb they were investigating. Haki tried his best, but he was the only one who escaped."

"How horrible for him," Sophie murmured.

"The Foundation offered him another team, but he refused. I think this'll be the first time he's gone back into the field."

"Guggenheim's really pulling out all the stops."

"Lok and Zhalia are important." Dante stood, pacing restlessly to the window and staring out.

_It's not just that, though, is it?_ Sophie thought, watching him. _It's because you're the one asking. Does the Foundation's top Seeker really ask for so little?_

"Penny for your thoughts."

"I was thinking that they're lucky," she said absently. As soon as she heard the words she flinched, looking up, but Dante didn't look surprised or horrified. Instead he was watching her the same way he watched Lok solve a puzzle, or the way he sometimes looked at Zhalia when he thought no one was looking.

Sophie was a Casterwill, after all, and if she'd missed something that obvious Santiago would have been bitterly disappointed in her.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, ordering her thoughts, and when she looked up he was still waiting patiently. "I wasn't thinking of what's happening now. I meant that they're lucky to be on your team." He nodded slowly and she added with more emphasis, "We're lucky you're our leader. That we have you to fight for us."

Dante started to answer, stopped, and looked away. She continued, deliberately light, "Of course, you're lucky too. How many Seeker teams can boast the last of the Casterwills?"

He laughed, taking the change of tone as she'd known he would. "None at all."

"Or one of the legendary Lamberts?"

"I count my blessings every night," he assured her solemnly.

"Good. Now, where's Haki? I'm starving."

* * *

DragonPhoenix: I'm glad you're enjoying! This story ends with Lok planning the trip to Ireland that we see in Home Turf, so Zhalia's betrayal doesn't come up. BUT, because you asked and because I like to give my reviewers something, I wrote an interlude to go between this story and the next, going through the betrayal from both of their points of view. This is chapter three of five, so you'll get the interlude in another two weeks! (And I love when people ask questions, so don't worry about that.

Heroes-of-Love: They were a little fluffy in this chapter, no? I'm not putting them together, because I like the relationships as we see them onscreen, but she does have to take care of him while he's sick, if that counts.

KaliAnn: DO you know, I was going to have Sohpie so upset on the flight that Dante would send her to sleep! But I honestly don't think he'd do that, no matter what. As for experiments...well, the magic-draining bug counts, doesn't it?

San: Enjoy! I'm sticking to a weekly update schedule for now, as I haven't finished the sequel yet.

Kanasukeh: You can ask any question you like, but if it's a plot point I may not answer. Fair enough? Lok and Zhalia still have their amulets, because neither of them can use them right now; Zhalia because of the bug, and Lok because he's sick. Klaus didn't bother taking them away.

Jade Dex: I love Cherit too. He's so cute!

Treycied: Cherit's shining moment comes in the next chapter, so hopefully you can wait that long! I'm trying to stick to my one-a-week schedule for updating, because the sequel isn't finished yet. If I get it done before this is finished posting, I can just go straight ahead into it. Otherwise, I'll have to wait until it's ready. Sound fair?

Knife86: Thanks! I'm glad you think they're all in character. I did like that line: Dante often jokes around with them, even in the middle of missions, so I thought it fitted. Now, Santiago...I'm not sure if he would joke like that. But it seem to have passed!

Zkn99fg7: Soon enough for you? I'm updating every Wednesday, hopefully, so enjoy!


	4. Chapter 4

Author's note: four of five! Nearly at the end of this one.

Chapter Four

Lok let Dr Schmidt examine him, sitting passively and following his orders. Zhalia thought that probably had more to do with the newly-arrived Grier, standing directly behind her with an Augurfrost in his palm, than any desire to make things easier for the Organization.

Grier was a complication she hadn't anticipated. He respected her as a fighter, he'd trained her himself, but he hated the subterfuge that accompanied her role and she knew he wouldn't hesitate to out her to Lok if he could find a reason to.

Not that it mattered, of course. Within forty eight hours they'd be back in Prague, and once he'd met the Professor it wouldn't matter what he thought of her.

For the first time she wondered about Cherit. She wasn't sure if the Professor could control Titans, but even if he could Cherit was something different.

She refused to think about what would happen if the Professor _couldn't_ control him.

Schmidt finished binding Lok's shoulder, turning away from the bed. Zhalia took a careful step away from Grier; when he didn't object, she crossed to the bed, sitting beside Lok. He was busy glaring at Schmidt, but his hand slipped into hers. Cherit, who'd been banished to the next room while the doctor was working, drifted back to curl under Lok's arm.

"Mild pneumonia," Schmidt told Klaus. "The air here isn't helping, but it's too late now; you'll need to watch for heat exhaustion, as well. Keep him still for a week or so, give him these." He produced a bottle of pills, tossing them to Grier. "Be careful of his shoulder; it's healing up now, but it won't take much to throw it out again."

"We have to be in Prague in two days," Klaus protested.

Schmidt hesitated, studying his notes. Zhalia bit her lip, waiting; she didn't realise she was squeezing Lok's hand until he shook it lightly, trying to loosen her grip.

"No," Schmidt said finally. "The boy can't travel."

"The Professor wants to see him."

"You can't move him. Send the girl if he needs a Huntik prisoner so badly. Put the boy on a plane now you'll kill him."

Klaus scowled, storming out of the room.

"Plenty of water," Schmidt told Grier. "Give him the pills. And get some air flow in here."

Grier threw the bottle of pills to Zhalia and turned to snap at one of the Suits. "Get someone on guard outside that window and get those boards off."

"Good." Schmidt looked back at Lok. "Try to relax, my boy. It should clear up in a week or so."

"Oh, no problem. I love being surrounded by the Organization." He began to cough again; Zhalia hauled him upright, waiting out the fit.

"Keep him quiet," Grier warned Zhalia, ushering the doctor out and locking the door behind him.

Zhalia snagged a bottle of water, offering it to Lok with two of the pills. "Heat exhaustion? I thought you lived in Italy. It's not much hotter here."

"I grew up in _Ireland_. Sixty five degrees is a heatwave. This is more like eighty five." He swallowed the pills, choking a little on the water. "Where'd you grow up, Zhalia?"

"Prague," she said absently, and then mentally cursed.

"Prague? Isn't that Organization Central?"

"Yeah. But there's thousands of people there who don't know anything about this world."

Lok nodded. "Isn't Prague cooler than Ireland? You should be feeling it even worse than me."

"Heat's never really bothered me. And I travelled a lot, even before the Foundation."

There was a crash outside and the boards fell away from the window. The sky was lightening towards dawn; Zhalia sighed. Her body clock was still off, insisting that it was only late evening.

Lok flinched, rolling away from the sight. "Ow."

"It's not even dawn yet."

"It's been practically pitch black in here all day," he said, voice muffled by the pillow. "Night. Whatever."

Zhalia settled on the edge of the bed, back against the headboard. "You should get some rest. Klaus isn't going to give you a whole week."

"You need rest too," Cherit told her, lifting out of Lok's arms to hover in front of her.

"We're surrounded by the Organization, Cherit."

"Aye, that we are. I'll watch them for you. No magic makes you weaker. You need sleep."

"Zhalia, g'to sleep," Lok mumbled. "Cherit'll wake us."

"Cherit'll wake me," Zhalia corrected him pointedly, easing down to lie beside him. "Don't hog the blanket."

"It's _ninty degrees_ out. Who needs a blanket?"

***

Haki was standing by the window, coffee in hand, when Dante left his room just before dawn. "Morning," he said quietly, offering a second cup to Dante. "I figured you'd be up pretty soon. We'll be heading out in about an hour."

"Still no news?"

"We haven't narrowed the field any. But the last of Guggenheim's Seekers flew into Darwin during the night."

"How many?"

"Including the four of us? Seventy three. I had an idea that might help us, though…look at this for a minute."

He crossed to a map on the table; the search area was pencilled in and various other sites were marked and notated. Sophie slipped out of her room to join them, stealing Dante's coffee from him and taking a sip.

Haki pointed out five or six towns on the edges of the pencilled circle. "I know people in these towns, good people. They'll know if there have been strangers around."

"We'd risk alerting the Organization," Dante said neutrally.

"This may be the fastest – or only – way to find them."

"Sophie, what do you think?"

Sophie frowned, studying the map. "Can't you just call them, Haki?"

"Calls can be intercepted, especially over distances like that. I can, if you like, but the risks go up."

"No. Let's do it." Sophie looked up at Dante. "Yes?"

"Yes. Where's Santiago?"

"On the roof, I think. I'll go find him." She handed Dante's cup back and headed for her room.

"My friends won't give us away, Dante. Unless the Organization actually see us, they won't know we're there."

"Never doubted it." Dante pulled out his Holotome, scanning the map in. "Who's staging the Seekers in the field?"

"Stefan Orain, at the moment. He'd step down for you."

Dante glanced up as Sophie and Santiago came in. "No. Stefan's a good man. Let him know what we're doing, and we'll go." Haki nodded, stepping back from the table.

"What's the plan?" Sophie asked.

The Holotome produced the mission card; Dante studied it for a moment before offering it to Sophie. "The plan is we find our friends, and we bring them home."

Sophie slipped the card into her pocket. "Sounds good to me."

Lok woke a little later, too miserable to sleep any more. Cherit climbed onto the pillow beside him, pressing one paw against his forehead.

"Hmm…getting better, Lok!"

"Ssssh. Zhalia's still asleep."

"She needs it," Cherit agreed. "I don't think she'd slept since you were taken."

Lok nodded, eyeing the window. "Cherit," he said very quietly. "Do you think you could get past the Suits out there?"

"Aye, that I could, but why?"

"Dante's got to be around somewhere. Do you know any Huntik Foundation safe houses in Australia?"

"I know where the safe houses are, but I don't know where we are right now. It would be hard to find them."

"Think you could find your way? We can't get out on our own, and I think Zhalia's right; Klaus isn't going to wait for me, whatever Schmidt says."

Cherit bounced off the bed, hovering near the window. "I could do it, but you'll be alone."

"No, I won't." He glanced at Zhalia, still sleeping the sleep of the completely exhausted.

"Go back to sleep," Cherit advised him. "So they won't know it was your idea. I'll be gone when you wake up."

"Be careful, little buddy." He lay back down, careful not to disturb Zhalia. It didn't take long for him to drop off again.

***

He woke some time later when Zhalia was yanked off the bed and dropped to the floor. A Suit reached for him, but he ducked, sliding off the bed as carefully as he could under his own power.

"Where is the little Titan gone?" Klaus demanded. "Whose idea was it?"

"What – Cherit?" Zhalia asked, genuinely surprised. Lok said nothing, keeping his head down and concentrating on his breathing.

"A Titan acts only under orders," Klaus snarled.

Zhalia answered in Czech; whatever she said didn't go down too well, as the nearest Suit hit her hard enough to spin her head around. Lok braced her until she caught her balance again.

"Zhalia didn't do anything," he protested.

"Lok, shut up," Zhalia hissed.

"Let the boy talk, my dear," Klaus told her.

Zhalia spat something else in Czech; Grier yanked her to her feet, pinning her against his chest without effort.

"Cherit's a free Titan," Lok said quickly. "He doesn't have an Amulet, he does whatever he wants. He probably got bored hanging around and bailed to find some place more fun."

Klaus gestured to Grier, who put some pressure on the arm around Zhalia's throat. "And left you, his Seeker, behind?"

Zhalia kicked out sharply backwards, catching Grier on the shin. He pulled her up into the air, off her feet, pressure still on her throat.

"Cherit's not mine," Lok said desperately. "He goes where he wants."

He reached up suddenly and caught Zhalia's ankle, tugging sharply. The move took Grier by surprise and he dropped her; she landed on her knees, coughing and rubbing at her throat.

"Zhalia didn't do anything," he said firmly, eyes locked on Grier.

He took a step closer, raising one foot to kick them. Zhalia laughed, voice deep and pained. "Go ahead, Grier, break a bone. We'll see what the Professor thinks. He can't use a broken Seeker."

"He can't…" Lok started hotly, but Zhalia whipped around to glare at him and he subsided.

"Grier," Klaus snapped, and he backed off, scowling. "Double the guard."

"The Foundation will find us."

"They'll find us anyway if that damn Titan breaks the lines. Get more guards out there!"

Grier turned away, already snapping out orders. Klaus watched Zhalia for a moment before following him.

Lok collapsed as soon as they were gone, trying to catch his breath without coughing. Zhalia didn't move, watching until he relaxed and drew a deeper breath.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Lok started to rise, changed his mind, and edged around the bed on his knees. The water wasn't cold anymore, but it was water; he allowed himself two mouthfuls before coming back to Zhalia with the second bottle.

"You're bruising already," he murmured. Tearing a strip off his shirt, he soaked it in water before offering it to her.

"Thanks." She laid it gingerly against her throat. "Did the little Titan really leave on his own?"

"Little Titan – that's what Klaus called him," Lok said thoughtfully.

"Yeah. I heard him. Was it your idea or not?"

"Yeah."

"You little idiot. Do you _want_ to get yourself killed?"

"Hey!"

Zhalia pulled the damp cloth away from her throat. "Get back to bed, Lok."

"Zhalia, what's…"

"Get back to bed!"

He obeyed, watching her carefully. When he was settled she sat carefully on the end of the bed.

"The only reason you're alive, Lok, is because the Professor wants a spy in the Foundation."

"I'd never…"

"It doesn't _matter_ what you think. The Professor can warp minds. He'll turn you against the Foundation without even trying. But if Klaus thinks Dante's close to finding us, he'll just take us out. He doesn't want you in the Foundation. Especially you."

"Why not?"

"Because Eathon Lambert was the best Seeker of his generation. Dante Vale, the best of his generation, has taken you on. You'll be the best in your generation pretty soon. And your team, Dante's team, has the highest success rate since your father. The Professor means to change that one way or the other."

"My dad worked with Metz."

"Metz learned from your father. He was the best. Everyone knows that. Lok, the only chance we have is if Klaus believes we can be converted."

"I can't go against Dante, even pretend," Lok said, troubled.

"Figures," Zhalia muttered. "I can."

"But just pretend, right?"

She looked away. "I work for the Foundation, Lok, you know that. I can keep Klaus quiet for a while. You just need to stop arguing with him. Stop giving him excuses to hurt you."

"Alright," Lok agreed quietly. "I'll stay quiet."

Zhalia nodded, sagging against the edge of the bed. "Thank you."

"You should get some rest," Lok murmured, curling up.

"I will."

***

Sophie sat on the bonnet of the car, face up towards the sun. If she opened her eyes she could just see Dante, waiting patiently outside a house. Haki was inside, talking to another contact. Santiago had gone to meet the other Seekers, at Dante's request.

"Three towns," Sophie said, mostly to herself. "Six and a half hours. Seven different contacts."

_No luck,_ she didn't add.

Something thumped against the car and she sat up, startled. A child of about six froze in the act of running after a ball.

"Sorry!" he squeaked.

"That's alright." Sophie slid off the car, catching the ball and crouching to hold it out. "Here you go."

"Thank you." The boy took the ball, laughing. "Are you Haki's friend?"

"Yes. Do you know Haki?"

"He asked my mama about the bad men."

Sophie frowned. "The bad men?"

"Two days ago they were on Wanamangura's path."

"Wanamangura's path," she repeated. "Thank you."

The boy smiled, turning and running away with his ball. Sophie rose to her feet, glancing around.

Dante was coming back towards the car, deep in conversation with Haki. She went to meet them.

"What is it?" Dante asked when he saw her.

"I met a boy who says there were bad men on Wanamangura's path two days ago." She kept her voice down.

Haki frowned. "Wanamangura's path."

"Does that mean something?" Dante asked, pausing to spread the map over the bonnet of the car.

"Wanamangura is the local incarnation of the Rainbow Serpent, who carves out rivers as he travels. Rivers are very important in this area." He gestured to the desert surrounding them.

"This is the nearest river." Sophie traced it carefully. "It flows towards Ayer's Rock."

"If they're anywhere near Uluru, we can find them." Haki grinned, folding the map. "Come on. I know the man we need to talk to."

Sophie scrambled into the car behind Dante. "How long will this take?"

"Two hours, give or take." He caught Dante's look. "I'll see how much I can shave off that."

"Do," Dante agreed.

Almost an hour into the trip, just over half way to Haki's contact, they had to stop to refuel. Sophie got out to stretch her legs, walking away from the road. The sun beat down on her; she'd thought Ethiopia was warm, but Australia was even hotter. And it was so dry out here. Between them they'd already drunk about ten liters of water.

"Sophie!" Dante called. She waved, turning and beginning to pick her way back to them.

"Sophiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Frowning, she turned away, looking out across the desert again. Dante watched her, turning to follow her gaze.

"Sophiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Cherit fell out of the sky.

***

KaliAnn: I'm glad you liked that one! Zhalia's doing pretty well keeping each side separate, and I'm glad Klaus' plan makes sense. Can't say whether they're going to betray the Foundation, but you'll find out...

Kanasukah: Here you go! Hope this one is as much fun.

Treycied: I figure if you guys are going to take the time to comment, I can take the time to answer you. And yes, Cherit's shining moment was right there! :: Points up the screen:: Glad you're enjoying; stick wiht me, we're almost there.

DragonPhoenix16: Thanks for reviewing anyway. Glad you're still enjoying!

Jade Dex: I'm a Dhalia girl as well, Lok and Zhalia aren't actually together here. They just happened to be captured together. Don't worry, I'm not disturbing the relationships as seen on screen.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: And it's the last chapter! Thanks so much for sticking with me, guys. I really enjoyed writing this.

Next week is the interlude, written in response to a comment from DragonPhoenix16. (See? If you review, you might get a story too!) After that is the sequel to this one; it's a bit longer - 20 100 words against 11 600 in this one - so there'll be more to enjoy! (Yes, I do like to write in nice even amounts of words. :D)

Since this is the last chapter, I'll PM anyone who asks questions or whatever.

Enjoy!

Chapter 5

"How's your friend?" Haki asked.

"Worn out, poor thing." Sophie folded the map back up. "He's been flying all day."

"Cherit's not really built for long distance flying," Dante agreed, joining them. "Sophie, can I see that?"

Sophie handed over the map. "Is he alright?"

"He's resting. Here." He tapped the map. "That's where he came from."

"It's along the river," Haki said, studying it. "It's only about another hour away. Is he sure?"

"He's sure. Can you call Stefan?"

"Yeah. Let me get the sat phone."

"How did he know where we are?" Sophie asked.

"He didn't. He's been trying to avoid the Organization. He dodged them about ten minutes ago and started towards Perth, looking for the Foundation safe house there."

"And we just happened to be in the way. Poor Cherit."

"Lucky for us, though."

Haki came back, offering Dante the sat phone. "Stefan? Dante. Listen, how fast can you get your Seekers into position?"

***

The sun was starting to go down again. Zhalia's body clock was finally realigning; it only felt like she'd been up for a day instead of two or three.

"Lok, your pills," she murmured.

Lok, curled on his side, didn't respond. Zhalia sighed, picking up their last water bottle and crossing to sit on the bed.

"Lok," she said more firmly. "Take your pills."

He took the pills obediently, dry swallowing them and waving away the water she offered. "You really should be drinking more," she protested.

He still didn't answer, curling into a tighter ball. Sighing, she hauled on his shoulder until he unfolded enough that she could touch his forehead.

"Lok, you're burning up. You need to drink this."

Grier shoved the door open, carrying a tray. "Dinner."

Zhalia took the tray from him, grimacing. "I see we're getting the gourmet menu."

"Food's much better on this side of the door."

"Yeah, but the view's better over here."

He scowled, tossing two more bottles of water on the bed before stomping back out again.

"Looks like cheeseburgers and chips," Zhalia told Lok. "Sit up and eat something."

Lok rolled over again, pulling the blanket up over his head.

Zhalia grimaced, pushing the tray aside. "Lok…"

Noise filtered in from outside and she paused, crossing to look out the window.

***

"Boltflare! Honourguard!" Sophie rolled to her feet next to Dante, glancing around.

She'd never seen a fight on such a huge scale. The Seekers outnumbered the Suits, but the Suits were defending rather than attacking and thus had the advantage. Titans romped around, threatening their owners as often as the enemy, and the lights from attacks cast the whole field in strange colours.

Santiago appeared next to her, scanning the field. "Dante! If you and Sophie cover me, I believe I can get inside. There's a gap in their lines."

"I see it," Dante agreed. "Grier is inside, though, and he's dangerous."

"I'll go," Sophie said. "I'm faster than you," she added when Santiago started to protest.

"Be careful," Dante warned her. "Ready?"

"Quite. Sabriel, let's go!"

Grier was alone in the main room, fiddling with the lock on one of the doors. Breaker's amulet was in his hand, but he hadn't invoked him.

"Hey!" Sophie yelled. Grier spun, staring at her. "I thought we left you on Sutos Island!"

"Appearances can be deceiving," Grier snarled. "Augurfrost!"

"Honourguard!"

The room was too small for him to summon Breaker. Sophie sent a Boltflare at him, examining the room. The door behind Grier was the only one locked, and there didn't seem to be anyone else in the building.

Grier charged her; Sophie waved Sabriel back, ducking under Grier's blow. Sabriel immediately engaged him, freeing Sophie to slip past and unlock the door.

Zhalia was standing next to the door, a wooden board clutched in her hands. Lok, eyes dull and empty, was hunched on the floor next to her.

"Lok!" Sophie dropped to the floor beside him. "Are you alright?"

Lok didn't answer; his eyes drifted shut, and Sophie looked up at Zhalia. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but I have no magic. What's going on?"

"Everyone else is still outside…Honourguard!"

Grier burst in; Zhalia swung the board, catching him in the stomach. Sophie yanked at Lok's shoulders, pulling him further away from the door. Grier doubled up, groaning, and Sabriel came in behind him, blade ready.

"Stop her!" Zhalia yelled at Sophie, who waved Sabriel back. "Grier, go outside. Join the fight out there."

"Those Foundation Seekers will never defeat us," Grier spat.

"Then it doesn't matter which side of the door you're standing on. You want to sit in here and babysit the kids, or you want to go out there and defeat Dante Vale?"

Grier scowled, backing out the door. Sabriel followed him into the main room, setting herself on guard at the door.

Sophie went back to her knees beside Lok. "Lok, are you alright?"

"He's sick," Zhalia told her, going back to the window. "Is that Santiago?"

"Yes. Cherit found us a little while ago."

"The little Titan did it?" Zhalia smiled, impressed despite herself.

"It wasn't your idea?"

"Lok's. Can you seal that door?"

Sophie nodded, sitting back on her heels and concentrating. She murmured the spell under her breath; Zhalia ignored it, leaning out the window to catch Dante's eye. He nodded when he saw her, turning to wave to the other Seekers.

"Step it up!" he yelled.

Several of the Suits tried to retreat towards the building; Dante, Santiago and three or four other Seekers somersaulted over their heads, cutting them off. The battle quickly descended into a rout; even Grier couldn't save them, and the Organization fighters were soon unconscious or under guard.

Dante and Santiago hurried into the building; Sophie's spell was still holding, but she dropped it when Santiago called her. Santiago knelt beside her and Dante went to Zhalia, touching her shoulder lightly.

"Are you alright?" he asked, studying her. The bruises on her jaw and throat were vivid against her skin, and there were traces of blood still under her nose and ear.

"I'm fine." She leaned against him for a moment, gathering her strength.

"Cherit says Klaus blocked your magic. Do you know how?"

"Is he here?" She glanced at the window.

"No. He got away before we could stop him. Zhalia, do you know what he did?"

"Yeah." She looked past him at Sophie and Santiago. "He has pneumonia."

"_Zhalia._"

She looked back at Dante, surprised. "What?"

"She's in shock," Haki said from behind them. "We should get them out of here."

Dante nodded. "Santiago, can you…"

"We have him," Sophie assured him.

"Good. Zhalia, listen. How did Klaus block your magic?"

"He has a…thing." She gestured vaguely. "Like a bug."

"Ok," Dante agreed. "And where is it?"

Zhalia turned, lifting her top a little. The bug was nestled into the small of her back, partially burrowed under the skin there.

Dante started to reach for it; she caught his wrist, stopping him. "It'll hurt you."

"Doesn't matter. Are you ready?"

"Yeah." She took a deep breath, letting go of his wrist. "Do it."

Dante's hand closed over the bug and he pulled.

***

Zhalia was bone weary, but – for the first time in a long time – she didn't hurt anywhere. For a long time she was willing to just enjoy that, but eventually she woke up the rest of the way.

"Morning," Dante said quietly from somewhere nearby.

"Is it?"

"Well, almost. How do you feel?"

"Tired." She stretched, wincing as the movement woke all the aches in her body. "And stiff," she added. "Where are we?"

"Huntik Foundation safe house in Perth. You've been asleep for a day and a half."

"Have I?" She thought about that for a minute. "What about Lok?" she added, more sharply.

"Lok's fine. His doctor says he'll be able to travel by the end of the week…and you should be alright to fly by then, too. He's surprised you made it here with that ear."

"Didn't have much choice," she murmured, sitting up.

"No, I suppose not," Dante agreed. "The doctor says Lok was already taking antibiotics."

"Yeah."

"Where did he get those?" he prompted her.

"Organization doctor."

"Klaus called a doctor?"

"Zhalia made him," Cherit said from the doorway.

Zhalia threw her pillow at the little Titan. "Sneak!" Dante laughed softly, and she glanced back. "Klaus needed us alive. It wasn't hard to persuade him. And only Lok could get pneumonia and heat exhaustion at the same time."

"He does have a knack." Dante got up to retrieve her pillow. "The doctor says your ear's already healing up. He gave you painkillers, if you want them."

"No thanks. It's not that bad."

Cherit landed on the bed. "You should take them. They'll help you sleep easier."

"I don't need them."

Dante frowned, sitting back on the bed. "Are you sure? They'll ease some of that stiffness, too."

Zhalia grimaced. "They make my head fuzzy. I can't think straight or cast any spells."

"You don't need spells," Cherit reminded her. "This is a safe house."

"Yeah, I know." She looked away, picking at her blanket.

"It's fine," Dante put the packet on the night table by the bed. "Take them if you need them, alright?"

"I will." She glanced at the window. "Huh."

"What?" Dante looked over; the sky was starting to lighten, but it wasn't dawn yet.

"I finally feel like it's the right time. Just in time for us to head back home."

"Not for another couple of days," Dante reminded her, standing. "Get some more sleep. Sophie's been trying to sneak out to see Lok all night; I should go catch her before she tries again."

Zhalia caught his arm. "Let the kids play. Lok was pretty sick for a while."

"That bug…"

"Was meant for you. Klaus developed it for you…the Professor's obviously getting tired of you."

"Well, they say the man who never made an enemy never made anything. Zhalia, get some _sleep_."

"Stay with me?"

Dante smiled. "If you like."

***

Lok was curled on his side in a hospital bed, gazing idly out the window, when Sophie slipped in just before dawn that day. "Morning, Lok."

"Morning. Where is everyone?"

"Zhalia and Dante are back at the safe house. She's still exhausted."

"Is she alright?"

"Well, when Dante got the bug off, all her Titans spontaneously invoked. Getting them back under control when she was already so tired used up all her reserves. She's been asleep for a day and a half." She sat carefully on the side of the bed. "Lok, do you know what was going on?"

"Yeah." He sat up, playing with the edge of the blanket. "The Professor wanted me either out of the game or on his side. They were waiting for all the Seekers to reach Australia, then we were going back to Prague…only I got sick, and they couldn't move me."

"Yes, the doctors here said if you hadn't been taking the pills you'd be much sicker. As it is they think you'll be able to travel by next week, and Zhalia's ear should be healed by then as well. You're lucky they gave you those antibiotics."

"Zhalia made them call an Organization doctor."

Sophie frowned, studying him. Lok sounded oddly distant. "Lok, are you alright?"

"Course." He smiled quickly. "I'm just looking forward to getting out of here. Go back home, get a few more missions."

"Oh!" Sophie dug into her pocket, lifting out a slightly crumpled envelope. "This came for you, just after the mission to Spain. It was waiting at Dante's."

"Oh?" Lok took it from her, pausing to cough.

"Yeah. I didn't mean to bring it, but…" She shrugged, looking away.

"It's from my mom," Lok said in surprise. "She says that…hey, she used to be a Seeker!"

"Really?"

"Yeah. I didn't know about that. I mean, she must have known my dad was, but I didn't realise…" He let the letter slide out of his hands, thinking.

Sophie carefully picked up the letter, scanning through it. "She says Guggenheim called her when you started working with Dante, and she'd like you to go home to visit her. Where does she live?"

"Ireland. Kerry. I went home at Christmas, but I haven't been back since."

"Is it just your mother?"

"No. My sister Cathy lives at home." He took the letter back from her. "Hey, you're invited."

"I am?"

"Well, my team. Which is you, Dante and Zhalia."

"Why did you go to the Academy? It's pretty far away."

"My dad wanted me to go there. They talked about it before he went missing. Plus…" he shrugged. "You might have noticed I'm not very studious. The Academy has a really good reputation."

"Hmm. Your mother sounds really nice."

"She is." He stared at the letter for another moment.

"Dante'll be here soon. You could ask him."

"Yeah, I think I will. I'd like to go home."

"For a holiday?" Sophie winced; that hadn't sounded anywhere near as casual as she'd wanted it to.

"Yeah. Just a holiday, Sophie. Even Seekers get holidays, right?" He smiled, reaching out a hand. She took it lightly, and they sat together and watched the sun rise.

***

***

KaliAnn: Thanks! I'm glad the diagnosis made sense. I did a ridiculus amount of research for this story, on illness and Australian legends and everything! I'm glad it made some sense. And yes, there's more stories; an interlude and a sequel to this one, and an unrelated story I'm working on at the moment.

Kanasukeh: Glad you're enjoying! I quite liked Grier, and when I was writing this I hadn't seen Like Father, Unlike Son where he quits to go live on Sutos Island, so I wrote him in.

DragonPhoenix16: Not to worry, there's plenty more to come. :D

Jade Dex: I was reading about near drownings, and pneumonia is a common side affect, because the lungs have been weakened. I needed Lok to be sick for the story to work, so it seemed the natural way to go!

San child of the Wolves: Thanks! I hope you're going to stick around for the next stories.

Aria Aisling: Literally after reading your review I got an idea for a new story, so it worked! Glad you're enjoying. And yeah, they're not much good at consequences...Zhalia got her foot crushed, Lok got a concussion as well as drowning, Sohpie collapsed a couple times...still, that's what fic is for, yes? :D

ownagedude: He didn't use Everfight because he was hoping he wouldn't have to, but they couldn't avoid the Organization.

Maresia Eterna: I'm glad you enjoyed! Thanks for the review. This story, sadly, is over now, but there's an interlude and then a sequel to come, so hopefully they'll satisfy!


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